Juncheng Shang vs Juan pablo Varillas
Time: 2:30 PM IST
Head-to-head: 0-0
In spite of his lack of experience playing on European clay this year, Juncheng Shang exhibited his extraordinary talent during the qualifying rounds of the French Open. His exceptional skills enabled him to overcome the challenges posed by his limited playtime on the surface, successfully navigating through three demanding matches. Notably, he emerged victorious against the seasoned, yet currently struggling, Pablo Cuevas, as well as the in-form Fabian Marozsan, who had previously achieved an impressive straight-set win over Carlos Alcaraz at the Rome Masters. Furthermore, Shang secured a hard-fought three-set triumph against Renzo Olivo.
The immensely gifted Chinese teenager had a remarkably similar qualifying campaign at this year’s Australian Open, winning six sets and dropping only one. Moreover, he notably defeated Fabian Marozsan during the qualifying rounds. Building upon this success, he made an immediate impact in the main draw by causing an upset in the first round, defeating Oscar Otte in four sets.
Since the beginning of the 2022 season, the former Boys’ US Open runner-up has experienced a rapid rise in his career. Less than 12 months ago, he held a ranking outside the top 600, but his impressive performance, winning 40 matches across various levels and clinching his maiden Challenger title at Lexington, has propelled him to a top-200 position.
Juan Pablo Varillas had a promising start to the 2023 season when he managed to win two sets against Alexander Zverev, a former world number two, at the Australian Open. Additionally, he achieved his first-ever semifinal appearance on the main tour in Buenos Aires. Unfortunately, his performance has declined in the subsequent months, enduring two three-match losing streaks on the main tour. Furthermore, he was forced to retire from his most recent match in Lyon a few days ago.
Despite having limited opportunities on the main tour throughout his career, the Peruvian has displayed a tendency to elevate his performance and put up a strong fight whenever he competes at this level. He holds a 10-10 record in opening-round matches on the main tour and has engaged in five-set battles in both of his previous first-round encounters in Grand Slams against Felix Auger Aliassime at the 2022 French Open and Alexander Zverev at this year’s Australian Open.
Prediction: Back Juan Pable Varillas to win